Perpetual Midnight
by Baryon Lancer
Summary: #4a A life lived always in the shadow of a great tragedy. A soul weighed down by the consequences of his own actions and the burdens of his responsibilities. A love lost forever because of personal failure and perpetual shame. A life of constant sacrifice, lived in the shadow cast by the love he can never have. All my MKnR stories are in the same slightly altered timeline.
1. Chapter 1: Sacrifices

Author's note: all my MKnR stories occur in a slightly altered timeline to the canon storyline. My stories reference events in each other and canon, so if you see something you hadn't heard before it could be from one of my other stories. If you want to read them chronologically I have put a number at the front of the description for each labeling their timeline order.

Thanks for reading my stories and I hope you enjoy this one too.

* * *

It was two minutes to 5am.

He didn't need a clock to know this though.

He hadn't needed a clock for decades now.

His body knew when to wake itself up.

He thought that just once though, it would be nice to have the alarm surprise him like he remembered from his childhood.

He swung his legs out from under the sheets and let his feet hit the floor as his entire body moved into an upright position.

He was almost half a century old now, but took good care of himself. The aches and pains others his age might feel have so far eluded him. It also reflected in his appearance. Upon seeing him, few thought him older than forty.

His room was pitch black.

He often wondered if this was what a completely blind person saw, but he knew that most could sense some light if nothing else.

He finally saw the dim red numbers illuminated on the bedside chronometer.

4:59 am.

He didn't have to turn the impeding alarm off. He never bothered set it to begin with.

He felt something stir beside him in the bed.

" _I forgot."_

Soft hands and a warm mouth traced itself across his back.

"Good morning."

The soft purr of a feminine voice half his age accompanied the sensations.

She slid those warm, young, soft hands across his shoulders now as she kissed him on the right shoulder tendon.

A sense of self-loathing crept through him as she did so.

They were the wrong hands, the wrong lips, and the wrong voice.

No matter who they had belonged to, they had always been wrong.

"Your work here is done."

Even he could feel the "temperature" of the darkened room drop as he spoke these harsh sounding words.

The hands and mouth that had warmly greeted him seconds before now retreated.

The voice's tone changed instantly from sultry to servile.

"…um….yes, Sir."

He felt her slide out of the bed on her side and heard the rustling sound indicating she was replacing her clothing from where she had removed them the night before.

He took the opportunity to stand and stretch as well.

Like she had been, he was also completely naked.

He found his robe in the dark, in its usual place, and donned it as he moved towards the windows.

He then slid the curtain back, allowing the minimal light from the waxing quarter moon to stream in.

Though only minutes away at this time in the Summer, he never woke to sunlight outside. He had become a creature of the night. A creature of darkness and shadow.

" _Like her."_

Only then did he turn to see his former bed companion, now almost completely dressed back into her maid uniform.

She sensed him looking in her direction, and curtsied to him.

"If there is nothing else Sir?"

Even he wasn't completely heartless, though he affected that image well enough.

Turning back to look out on the moonlight draped elms in the gardens below, he responded to her.

"Since I made you work late last night, you may take the rest of the morning off."

She curtsied again as she replied.

"Thank you Sir."

Then she retreated from the room.

There had been no joy in her voice.

" _She's getting too attached."_

He could sense her disappointment in not being of further "service" to him this morning.

Some mornings when one of them would sleep with him he would avail himself of their "services" again before rising for the day. This morning though, he had apparently gotten enough of what he needed last night to be satisfied.

The longer he used their "services" the more they began to expect to be of "service" to him.

The more they expected from him in general, really.

Normal people are like that. They want to form attachments to each other.

There was nothing normal about him though. At least not since that day so long ago.

Anything beyond the ties of familial blood were additional weakness, vulnerabilities.

Since his blood relations opened him to more than enough weakness in his estimation already, there was no room for outsiders in his heart.

" _Still, it must be pleasant, to form normal human attachments."_

These thoughts crossed his mind as he looked upon his little moonlight kingdom and the lights of the city twinkling far below and beyond his hilltop mansion.

Well, almost the hilltop.

To the upper right could be seen the lights of a grand home of more recent construction.

Just like every morning for the last four decades, SHE began to invade his thoughts.

As if the invasion of his dreams every night were not already enough.

Now that new mansion overlooking the elms in his garden only served to rub salt in the wound that had never healed.

"Play it."

The Home Automated Robot had learned exactly what he wanted played a long time ago.

As he turned with the curtains still pulled back behind him, he saw the holographic projector come to life.

In the shower of light particles falling like a cascade from the ceiling, as if she were a ghost or an angel, an angelic looking little girl appeared as if by magic.

She was frozen in time, a perfect model of youthful feminine elegance, just as he remembered her. Flowing locks of jet black hair draped perfectly around her blemish free, white, symmetrically round face. Slightly pouting red lips and shinning bright eyes, with lavender bows in her hair. All of it capped off with an elegant lavender sun dress with flowers of every type sown into it.

Only a split second later, did this angel finally begin to move and speak.

" **Good morning Kouichi-kun! I simply couldn't wait till we met for breakfast to speak to you! I'm so excited to be spending the next few days with you. I hope you slept well last night because I didn't get a wink of sleep, just thinking about all the things we'd be doing this week…..together. I'm just so happy I get to spend this time together with you, my future husband. This week I get to show you a little preview of the wonderful life you and I will spend together. Well, I'm going to get ready now so we can finally have breakfast together, so see you real soon!"**

That radiant smile, the bouncy personality, that youthful hopefulness for their future together; it was like a knife driven into his throat and pushed down until it pierced his heart.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Like a knife that had been heated in a fire.

The HAR had been trained well from previous requests.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Morning after morning, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, for the better part of four straight decades.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

The same painful sequence would play for him, over and over.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

The hope and joy of a girl he once considered to be a bit of an annoyance.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Now stabbing at what little was left of his rsoul.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Once he had felt shame watching this. Shame that he had failed someone he swore to protect.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Then somewhere in his late teens it turned to despair and loneliness.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Now though, in the midway point of his life, it reminded him of his failure.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Some mornings he'd sit on the end of the bed and watch her tell him she loved him over and over until he felt he couldn't take it anymore.

" **Oh my darling Kouichi-kun, I do love you so!"**

Today though, it didn't take as much to fill up his reserves of self-loathing.

"Stop."

The HAR instantly obeyed, and the hopeful and happy angel again was frozen in perfection in her cage of light. Perfectly preserved as she was on that beautiful morning in Taipei all those years ago.

That tragic day so long ago, where he watched bleeding and helpless as that wonderful and happy little girl who love him so, whom he swore to love and protect always, whose enthusiasm for him was a mild annoyance, whom he didn't appreciate until he had lost her…

Was dragged away kicking, crying, screaming and begging for his help.

Begging him to save her.

This perfect little angel…who stood frozen as if incased in amber for thousands of years….

Was only hours away from tragedy when she recorded this message to him.

For all intents and purposes that perfect little girl died that day.

What those people did to her, had changed her forever.

What they left behind should have been put out of its misery, but instead it grew.

Into a hateful, spiteful, demonic presence who worked non-stop to thwart his family and all their accomplishments.

All because of him.

Because he failed her.

Because he failed his family.

Because he failed himself.

That perfect little girl essentially died that day, in that moment, because he failed.

This was the overriding fact of his existence for the past forty odd years.

He stood, having his fill of self-hatred restored for yet another day.

He walked through the hologram of the girl, with the HAR turning the image to follow him.

There on the bedside was his constant reminder of the failure of that horrible day.

The tiny oblong metallic object hovered in the air above its cleaning and charging station.

Like every morning, that perfect and happy little girl seemed to watch this man don his badge of shame.

He picked it up with his right hand and inserted it into the empty socket where once his natural right eye had been. A few split seconds later and a painful jolt in his right temple indicated the apparatus had made connection with his ocular implant. Binocular vision turned on like a stabbing, bright light in his mind. The sudden sensation of his previously two dimensional world taking on depth perception used to make him momentarily queasy. He cycled through the numerous visual spectrums the apparatus afforded him before normal vision appeared. After a moment to focus with the vision from his natural left eye, his artificial right eye became fully functional.

When he turned around that perfect vision of youthful beauty was smiling at him with that same pleased look he had seen every morning from her for almost five decades.

 _"Are you pleased as always my dear?"_

She smiled at him with that smile of hers that pained him so.

"Turn it off."

Just like that day so long ago in Taipei, she was again gone from him as if forever.

He took a deep breath, and slowly released it in a controlled and smooth manner.

"Turn the shower on."

Morning self-flagellation session complete, with this command to the HAR, Saegusa Kouichi's day could finally begin.

* * *

When she stepped into the Breakfast Dining Room, Mayumi saw her two younger sisters and their father talking.

" _A normal morning in the Saegusa residence."_

"Good morning everyone."

She spoke out as she took her place opposite her father at the round breakfast table, who as usual had his back on the expansive windows that opened onto a terrace above the rear gardens.

"Good morning Onee-chan."

"Good morning to you Onee-sama."

Her twin sisters Kasumi and Izumi answered her in turn.

"Did you sleep well?"

As usual, their father skipped the greeting and inquired as to her condition.

"I did father, thank you for asking, and you?"

It was a pro forma routine they all shared every morning.

"Not as well as I would have liked."

Only this morning their father threw them an unexpected curve ball of an answer.

So unexpected was this response, the girls exchanged odd looks with one another, seeming to lack the right way to answer.

Mayumi, as befits her older status, recovered first.

"Are you unwell father?"

Mayumi couldn't recall a single incident in her life where her father ever once indicated any weakness before them. Even when the man was severely sick, he simply shut himself off in his rooms and communicated with his children via text or servant.

"Nothing so grand. I merely slept poorly. Too much thinking."

"Is it something we can help you with father?"

Izumi stepped right up and asked to be let in to his thoughts without hesitation.

"It's nothing for any of you to concern yourselves over."

He then cracked a slight smile for them.

"After all, Kasumi-chan and you have your own challenges coming up."

Mayumi realized he had recognized his "mistake" and was moving to distract them from it.

" _Oh, Fox Father."_

As his eldest girl thought this with some sympathy, he continued his statement.

"This year's Nine Schools Competition certainly is shaping up to be one to remember."

Kasumi gave Mayumi a slightly sarcastic look as she elaborated on their father's statement.

"We were just telling father about the preparations for this year's competition."

Izumi, who was intimately involved not just in practice for her own events, but all the planning aspects for the entire school, had a slightly exasperated look on her face.

"They added three events, but it feels like they added twelve."

Kasumi ignored her sister's frustration and as was her way, immediately turned up her bravado levels.

"Nine events or ninety, makes no difference! First High will crush them all and stand on the central podium a record sixth straight time!"

Kasumi's confidence quickly turned her sister's mood around as well.

"Behind President Shiba's leadership how could we do otherwise?"

Izumi clearly shared her twin's enthusiasm for the competition itself, if not for the preparation work involved.

"And we'll make those guys pay for going after Tatsuya-san the way they did!"

Three sets of eyes gave Kasumi an interested look after these comments. Mayumi was the first to speak out on that interest.

"Ara, ara! Look who suddenly is a fan of Tatsuya-kun."

Realizing what she had just said could be misconstrued, Kasumi blurted out an embarrassed retort.

"I…..I didn't mean anything like THAT by it, I swear Onee-chan! I would never…."

Mayumi quickly understood her own misstep as she could feel her cheeks redden with realization her sister had assumed she had stepped on her toes, about a man.

About "That guy".

Mayumi sent her younger sister a devilish smile to try to cover her own sudden awkwardness.

"Never what dear?"

Kasumi tried to respond despite her own tinted cheeks.

"Um…it's just, I don't even really like the guy. Not at all! But….."

Then she suddenly furrowed her brows and her expression took on a determined look.

"…..he's First High, and they went after him. So we have to teach them a lesson. You don't mess with First High!"

Hearing this response, Mayumi also took on a serious expression.

"Them who? Do we know more about who blocked Tatsuya-kun being an engineer?"

Without taking his eyes off the hand terminal he was reading, Kouichi spoke to his eldest daughter.

"You seem very interested in the goings on at your alma mater Mayumi."

"Well….I…..

Mayumi, like Kasumi before her, began to sputter to find words to reply with that didn't give too much away.

"That's natural father."

It was Izumi that rescued her in that moment,

"After all. Onee-sama is not only an alumnus and former Student Council President, but both her sisters currently attend."

Kouichi lifted his eyes briefly to focus on his youngest child.

"I see."

Izumi very seriously continued her explanation.

"Sadly, we can't narrow down which groups were directly involved, but we are fairly certain neither Third or Second Highs were involved."

Surprisingly, Kasumi practically leaped out of her seat at the conclusion of her twin's statement.

"Of course they weren't! Minoru-kun would never allow Second High to do such a thing."

Izumi instantly returned her sister's perturbed attitude and dismissed her statement.

"Don't say silly things Kasumi! Of course Minoru-kun wouldn't!"

Kasumi's right eye twitched at her sister's angry but surprisingly supportive reply.

"But...that's what I just said…"

This exchange made Mayumi's devilish smile return instantly.

"Because Minoru-kun said so?"

At her teasing tone, both her sisters turned a bright shade of pink. Kasumi quickly shoved food into her mouth as a cover.

"How interesting."

Having her eldest sister turn that knowing gaze on her now, Izumi covered her own embarrassment by burying her head into her terminal.

"I can see you both are quite worked up for this year's competition, and as long as you don't lose focus that is a good thing."

From the figurative head of the round breakfast table, their father continued his pronouncement.

"Not only have three additional events been added to the schedule, but for the first time the competition will be broadcast in its entirety live to a worldwide audience."

Though they knew this already, hearing it again from their father made the younger sisters seem slightly nervous at the prospect.

"People around the world will be watching you, and the example you set."

Having finally raised his eyes from his data terminal with this last statement, his sunglasses covered eyes, the real and the artificial one, scanned his two youngest children intently as he continued.

"I have no need to remind you that in the increasing anti-magician environment we find ourselves in today, every positive display we magicians can make to the world will be of great benefit to us all."

Mayumi thought she could hear both her sisters make a hard swallow in response to the weight of the responsibility their father was applying to them.

"As representatives of one of the greatest magic houses, your example will be closely monitored. As Saegusa, I know you will make us all proud of you."

Having finished his thoughts, as usually, their father returned to his work with his eyes again on his terminal. Seeing that their father had put the sisters on pins and needles with worry, Mayumi quickly tried to break the silence and tension with mild humor.

"So no pressure, right girls?"

"If only that were the case."

Mayumi mentally sighed as their father seemed to be in no mood to let the girls off lightly this morning.

"The venues have been expanded as well. Most of the events now have double or even triple the seating capacity."

This Mayumi already knew, but in an attempt to relieve the pressure directed at her sisters, she directly engaged their father in conversation.

"My word, has ticket demand gone up so much?"

Looking briefly through his sunglasses at his eldest daughter, the look he sent her indicated he knew she already knew these facts and that he knew she was trying to get him off her sisters.

Looking back to his terminal, he gave in.

"In addition, the on-site hotel just completed an expansion that tripled its capacity and three off-site hotels have just opened for spectators."

Mayumi actually had concerns about how rapidly the competition's increased exposure, and thus the exposure of competitors like her sisters would be facing, seemed to be getting out of hand.

"All this for a high school competition? Isn't it all a bit extreme?"

Kouichi nodded and spoke without diverting his eyes.

"Indeed it is, but that can't be helped."

Their father cracked the slightest of smiles, the type that made his children shiver with concern.

"There has never been a greater single collection of children of the Twenty-Eight Houses, especially the Ten Master Clans, at the Nine Schools Competition. Add in the added weight of letting the Second Corse compete as well and interest was bound to increase significantly."

Then he looked directly across to Mayumi with a devilish smile of his own.

"Everyone wants to see the rematch as well."

Mayumi knew exactly what her father was talking about, but refused to give him the satisfaction of landing a blow on her.

"The rematch? Between First and Third Highs?"

His delight, and her welling bile, indicated to her she hadn't been entirely successful.

"In a manner of speaking."

He put the terminal down and steepled his fingers together as he leaned over to peer at her across the table.

"More specifically, they want to see The Crimson Prince try to avenge himself against The Enigma."

Mayumi winced slightly at one of Tatsuya's nicknames. If she didn't know better, she would have thought some PR department making advertisements for this year's competition had slapped that nickname on him.

Izumi and Kasumi both looked back and forth between their elder sister and their father in what looked to be an attempt to see who would break first.

"Is that really so interesting father?"

Mayumi asked after she took a sip of her tea in a disinterested manner.

"Two powerful young magicians battling over one of the most beautiful girls in the entire world?"

He even had the nerve to smirk at her, setting her instantly back on edge.

"Of course it is my dear."

Mayumi tried to affect disinterest with a condescending smile, but the light in her father's one real eye told her that she had failed in her attempt to thwart his amusement.

After the girls made their goodbyes, Mayumi made to follow them.

"One second Mayumi."

She could feel the floor drop out from under her.

" _Damn. Almost got away."_

With a quiet sigh of resignation Mayumi turned back to face her father, who now stood looking out the windows to the gardens beyond.

Staring up the hill at the expansive residence that was the new Tokyo residence for their great rivals, the Yotsuba.

" _Always THAT woman."_

"Yes father?"

Mayumi laced her response with all the innocent courtesy her Ojou-sama training had supplied her with.

"Come sit next to me."

He moved to pull out the seat that Kasumi had occupied before. She moved back to the table and allowed her father to seat her as a lady. He then took his seat and in a completely unexpected move he removed his sunglasses to reveal the artificial right eye to her.

Its silver metallic glow contrasted sharply with the dark brown of his real eye.

As the years went on, Mayumi had a harder and harder time deciding which eye showed the man's real emotions.

"You are planning to spend the summer vacation at a rented beach house in Chiba, correct?"

Mayumi immediately got a sinking feeling at her father questioning her summer vacation plans.

She knew he was about to rudely change them for her.

He even seemed to give her a sympathetic look of understanding as he pulled out a manila folder.

"An assignment, father?"

She could hear her own unintended release of sarcasm in that question.

"One you are already on."

He pushed the folder towards her.

"I have arranged rooms for you and your friends at the venue hotel for this years' Nine Schools Competition."

Mayumi was having a hard time trying to maintain her smile without letting her anger slip through.

"How generous father! All so I can cheer on my sisters?"

Her sarcastic remark illicited no reaction from him. Instead he delivered another direct blow to her ego.

"So long as it does not interfere in your attempts to sway young Shiba to marry you."

Mayumi had to clench her jaw to try to keep the surprise of her father's unusually direct response from showing on her face.

"Straight to business I see."

He tilted his head slightly at his daughter's exasperated response.

"Why lie about the purposes, when it can only serve to confuse you on my requirements of you?"

Mayumi could only respond to that with a simple retort.

"I see father."

"You're angry with me?"

She was surprised by this rather direct and emotional question as well. She turned a slightly concerned look towards him.

"I am saddened that you felt the need to do this without consulting me first."

He twisted the side of his lips a bit in an expression that indicated to her that he felt it couldn't be helped.

"You already agreed to try to persuade Tatsuya into marrying you. As I promised, I am putting you in the best position to do so."

Mayumi's civility, even with her father, had reached a breaking point. She felt he didn't care about her reputation at all and her next questions were meant to shame him.

"How's that father? By following him around like a love-sick groupie? Or perhaps as a wanton slut?"

He didn't even bat an eye, real or artificial, and he delivered the verbal equivalent of a gut punch to her as reply.

"Let's hope that works better than when you had him undress you in Nara."

Mayumi felt her eyes widen instantly in shock.

"Wha…what…I…."

Every fiber in her being screamed out to deny what he had said. Every part of her wanted to stand up and slap him across his heartless face.

"Are you stunned I know, or stunned I mentioned it to you?"

His question exposed her own inner thoughts, she finally dropped the mask of the Ojou-sama she had been wearing so carefully and let the real her out at him in anger.

"I…..YES! BOTH!"

She had gotten to her feet to deliver her anger full force to him. His blank, unmoved expression seemed to taunt her in her embarrassment and fury.

She stood their looming angrily over him for what seemed like an eternity.

His unreadable glare, that had fueled her anger just moments ago, now seemed to drain that same anger from her.

She returned to her seat, heart pounding, pulse racing, skin flushed.

Then, into the silent void between father and daughter. A void the daughter had felt between them for her entire life, she finally spoke again.

"…..no, neither."

In truth she was neither surprised he knew, nor surprised he mentioned it to her in this situation.

For a father, he was ruthless.

After she said this his face softened slightly and he spoke to her in what for him went for kindness.

"I'm not ashamed of you Mayumi. You're an adult now. I too was young once and understand what it's like."

Though she knew it was the truth, she had a hard time visualizing it. So machine-like was the man, that she sometimes wondered if he even had a pulse.

A sudden shiver ran down her spine with a shocking revelation.

There was someone else that reminded her of her ruthless and cold father.

That it was someone she could actually be in…disturbed her greatly.

"Really father, must we discuss this further?"

All that was left now for Mayumi was exposure and embarrassment. Her father hadn't started this conversation to torture her though.

"No, so long as you understand how vital it is that you separate him from the Yotsuba."

As always with this man, it was about those people.

The Yotsuba.

Always about….her.

Mayumi responded in a nearly exhausted tone.

"You mean separate him from Miyuki-san. You ask the near impossible."

He stood up and smiled warmly at her.

"If anyone can do it though, it is you."

He then moved over to the position he had been standing in, looking out the window, when he had asked her back to the table minutes before.

"You surely know what is at stake, not just for we Saegusa, but for Japan and the world."

Mayumi tried not to smirk at this melodrama scene.

"Because of Tatsuya-kun?"

He must have felt her sarcasm in her words, as he responded with authority.

"Please don't play coy with me Mayumi. You already know he is not just some ordinary magician."

Mayumi could only sigh lightly before replying.

"I know what you think he is father, and even though I'm not convinced of that, I will do as you ask, but I will do so without compromising my reputation or my personal integrity."

"That would be ideal."

As he spoke he used the first two fingers of his right hand to brush open the light curtain that only barely prevented a full view of the green and flower bedecked world beyond.

"But achieving this goal is more important than either my reputation or yours."

Without turning to look at him she knew his eyes had focused again on the new building atop the hill overlooking their back gardens and outbuildings.

"You need to understand and accept that. Who are we to stand in the face of history and proclaim our virtue was too valuable to sacrifice for the safety of the world?"

After such a bold statement, how was Mayumi to retort it?

"You have every right to be mad at me."

He continued on without letting her try to refute him.

"At least you are in love with the person I am forcing on you."

Mayumi felt a lump in her throat when he said the words she still denied to herself. She desperately began to sputter out words to try to refute him.

"Father…..I…."

He shook his head lightly, never taking his eyes off the mansion on the hill above them.

"Please don't deny it just to defy me when we both know it's the truth. I can see it in your eyes when you speak of him."

Her last leg to stand on was figuratively cut out from underneath her now.

"That you and I can find common cause in this should be celebrated by us. Not a point of contention between us."

He looked at her again now, with that cold eye of his. But which was the cold eye? The one made by man? Or was it the one connected directly to his soul.

"If you love the man I am forcing on you, then you should embrace him with both arms wide open."

He turned back to look impassively up that hill again.

What he was truly thinking as he spoke to her, Mayumi would be the poorest judge in the world.

"After all, not every magician has such a satisfying choice for life partner."

Mayumi left her father there, staring at the Yotsuba Tokyo residence through the Breakfast Dining Room windows.

She left him with a feeling of emptiness and loneliness inside herself that she couldn't pin down. Whether those feeling were self-pity over being in love with someone who she could never have, or having a father she could never understand, she couldn't say.

To her continuing sadness, she realized that it may tragically be both.

The morning sun had streamed in so gorgeously on him as he stood there, surrounding him in beams of golden light.

Yet no matter how much the sun shone upon him, her father always seemed to her to be cloaked in mystery, as if he was always enveloped in a permanent layer of perpetual darkness.

* * *

The young man stood before the doorway, not knowing what to expect on the other side. It wasn't like his father to call him in in the middle of the day. Some mornings he didn't even see him for breakfast. Most nights, he was asleep well before his father returned home.

He never complained though.

His father was an important man.

And the rumors all said that the war would be over soon. His father, as a magician leader among Japan's great magic houses, was needed elsewhere.

Suddenly the doorway to his father's home office opened. A sturdy looking man came out. Someone he knew his father relied on.

"The master will see you now."

He stood and nodded to the man who held the door for him, and walked inside, trying to hide his concerns.

At the moment he saw his father behind the desk, he heard the door close softly behind him.

They were alone together now.

It had been a rare occurrence, being alone together, but as he knew, his father was a busy man.

His father didn't look up at him when he entered, so engrossed in what he was reading on the monitor before him.

He did wave him over to stand before his desk.

The young man moved slowly, but with confidence that he didn't feel, remembering his etiquette classes.

When he came to stand before the large desk his father sat behind his back went straight and his head was raised high.

He stood at attention before a great man, who just happened to also be his father.

His father's fame went far and wide, bringing hope to his allies and fear to their foes.

His father hadn't risen above the rank of Major in the Self-Defense forces, mostly because of the General Staff's biases against magicians, but among the magicians he held the responsibilities of a general.

Among magicians, only Kodou-kaka had been made an official general, and commander of all Japan's combat magicians.

His father suddenly leaned back in his chair and the screen went blank before him.

Then he turned those eyes that had seen so many of the horrors of this war onto his child.

Eyes straight ahead, he could feel his father's own eyes probing him with a discerning gaze. Looking for weaknesses. He would find none…or so the boy desperately hoped.

"Your training goes well."

He wasn't sure if that was a statement or a question from his father, so suddenly it was delivered to him. Before he could speak, he learned it was in fact a statement.

"Your instructors all praise your abilities and your work ethic. I am told that last week you faced one hundred targets for the first time and managed to defeat ninety-seven."

He began to panic and blurted out a quick retort.

"I will do better father! I will not allow the last three targets to escape me this week!"

His father's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He realized he had spoken without permission. Again he began to panic.

"Please forgive me father."

His head was now only inches from the side of the desk.

"Raise your head."

When he did so he was surprised to see his father smiling at him.

"There is nothing to forgive."

Still, smiling, his father sat back in his chair again and crossed his arms.

"Taking out ninety-seven out of one hundred targets on your first try is praise-worthy, son."

The young man was so ready to be chastised that he couldn't believe what he was hearing now.

"I am proud of you."

A powerful sensation welled up inside him as his father's words penetrated into his mind. So dumbstruck by this unexpected praise that he could only blurt back out an obvious response.

"Thank you, Sir!"

Even as this reply was leaving his lips, in his heart he could feel his own lack of satisfaction with the outcome of last week's test.

"However, letting three get past me could cost the lives of millions in a real situation."

Seeing his father appraise him with a serious expression now, he decided to finish his statement with a promise.

"So I will do better next time, this I promise you."

After appraising him again for a few moments, his father's head began to nod slowly. Then he again smiled at his child.

"With such determination, I have no doubt you will."

Then his father stood up, using his legs to move the rolling chair out of his way.

"Come, let's sit."

With a hand gesture he indicated to his son the two chairs and small table that sat before the large windows that looked out upon the gardens below.

The son dutifully waited for his father to round the end of his desk and move forward before he followed him from two steps behind.

Once he was a few steps from the windows, his father used his right hand's index and middle finger to move the gossamer like light curtain aside to get an unobstructed view.

"The elms are growing nicely now, aren't they?"

His son looked down at the trees that were barely more than saplings a year ago. They had indeed grown nicely in the past year.

"Yes father, they will be lovely when fully grown."

Suddenly he could detect something was off about his father's expression. Where he looked down with joy just seconds before, now there seemed a dark contemplation about his features that his son couldn't understand.

"To think just ten years ago this had been a battlefield, scared and decimated by the bombs and missiles of our foes."

Now his son understood.

He had barely been a toddler then, and far into the mountains for safety, when the capital had been under constant attack. His father had been here though, at the front lines. Where their massive home now stood had been a residential neighborhood, but one that had been far too close to a Self-Defense forces base.

The death toll figures for this area of the capital had been…excessive.

His father had seen this place at its very worse.

"Perhaps Providence will give me the chance to see full grown trees grow here once again."

He turned back and suddenly smiled to his son reassuringly. Seeing that his son also hadn't taken his seat, he used a hand gesture to indicate he should.

The son, of course, waited for his father to sit before he finally joined him.

His father used the first two fingers of his left hand to tap twice on the surface of the small table between their chairs. A few moments later two circular doors in the table slid quietly back and two beverages ascended through the holes where the tiny doors had been. Through the hole nearest him came orange juice. By the look of it, his father had bourbon on the rocks in his glass.

They both took a sip of their drinks as they looked out towards those young elms growing below.

"As you probably already know, since the armistice, negotiations between the warring nations have reached an advanced state."

He turned his eyes towards his father now, who still was looking out to the gardens.

"So the rumors the war will be over soon are true?"

The look of frustration on his father's face was more about the difficult negotiations he was involved with than any dissatisfaction over the prospects of peace.

"Several of the smaller nations and splinter factions on both sides have withdrawn in anger over what they are being asked to sacrifice for peace, but without the support of the major powers they will soon see reason or wither on the vine."

It was then his father looked at him with a serious expression.

"To answer your question directly though, the major powers have all but signed the papers."

He nodded his understanding to his father. Peace would be good. Having been born during the war, he had never known a time without it. True, his father's rank and influence had kept him far from danger, but having so many people he cared about involved in the war, he imagined having peace would make everything easier for them.

Especially his father.

His lessons in geo-politics though told him that there was more to this peace than just an end to the fighting.

"May I ask, the price we must pay for peace?"

His father looked away from him and back towards the gardens with a resigned look on his face. They remained silent so long that his son wondered if he had said something to offend his father. Then his father cut his eyes towards his son and spoke.

"All of our forces will withdraw from the mainland."

A lump formed in the boy's throat and his stomach began to churn within him. This old pain he had hoped to forget welled up in him once again.

He had to know for certain.

He had to ask.

"Even….Korea?"

His admittedly weak sounding question made his father's eyes close. Then after his father took a few deep breaths, he nodded his head as he confirmed his son's question.

"Yes, even Korea."

He could feel the cold of the orange juice he now held in both hands radiating through the glass and into him. He could feel his emotions pushing at him. He remembered his training though. He took his deep breaths and counted backwards from one hundred.

He would get control back.

Yet he couldn't help but hear her voice, and smell her scent. He couldn't help but remember the softness of her hands.

"I miss her too."

His father's words struck him like a slap to the face. His eyes opened and the moister threatening to fall from them almost escaped then.

" _He saw me. He saw my weakness."_

Before he could dwell on it further his father continued.

"She did not die so that you, and your children, and your descendants would have to fight this war over and over again. She would be the first to tell you that a bitter peace everyone can live with is better than a victory so costly no one wants to survive to see it."

She had been at the front during the Battle for Pusan. She had used her supreme multi-casting abilities to decimate the foes.

She had helped win a great victory.

And she never came back.

"Of course, father."

She would want him to be strong now. Not for her sake or his, but for father's. He couldn't be so selfish when father needed him to be strong for him.

He regained his thoughts and joined his father in looking out on those young elms again.

"That's why I want to talk to you today."

After he said this, the father took a sip of his beverage, then sat it back on the table.

"It is said that the seeds of the next war are sown in the ashes of the last. In other words, having won a war, the victors failed to win the peace that came after."

It sounded familiar to his son, but he wanted to make sure he understood what his father specifically meant by this statement.

"Win the peace?"

His father again turned to him with a smile and a nodded.

"Yes, often after a war, especially a long and costly one like this, people who are rightly weary of war forget what led them to war in the first place and ignore their responsibility to ensure a lasting peace endures into the next generations. They will weaken the nation at the precise moment when strength is required, just to pay for a false peace that leads only to more destruction and ruin later on."

His father looked again out the window with a furrowed brow.

"Also, there will always be those on all sides that are unsatisfied with the price of peace and think that with just a few more battles, a few more sacrificed lives, and they can win the peace they want, instead of the peace they have."

He could see his father's jaw muscles working before he continued speaking.

"That is why those of us that sacrificed the most in this war must continue to do so even now. To make sure the sacrifices of those we loved were not in vain. To ensure that the precious lives we lost were spent well."

Again, thoughts of his mother came to his mind, but his father was quick to move on before his son could dwell too far on her again.

"Especially we magicians, who I can honestly say have sacrificed the most for this peace, must be ever vigilant to keep it."

His father's eyes now bore into him with an intensity he could feel in his chest.

"In an unsatisfying peace, there will be those who had been ever the thickest friends in war that may turn on one another in that peace."

His father looked downwards and took a deep breath before continuing.

"This is disastrous when allied nations turn on each other, but even worse is when those within a nation point their knives at each other's throats."

For emphasis he turned those intense eyes back towards his son and pointed at his own neck. Then he looked downwards again with a look his son thought indicated both frustration and disappointment.

Having read the daily briefings of the activities of his family, the son had a question he had to know the answer to.

"Father, are we speaking of the Yotsuba?"

His father looked at him so suddenly and with such shock that he couldn't help but flinch slightly. After a few stunned moments where his father blinked at him in confusion, a sudden look of resigned clarity came to his expression.

"I sincerely hope we aren't."

It wasn't an answer, but fortunately after taking a hard sip of his drink, his father continued.

"The Yotsuba have been invaluable in winning this war. Often times the battles were won before we even took the field thanks to their mysterious behind the scenes intervention."

His father rubbed his face with his left hand between his nose and upper lip. Then he twisted up the right corner of his lips in a dissatisfied expression.

"Yet it is the 'mysterious' part that concerns you, right father?"

His father again looked at him with surprise, but much milder this time. Then he smiled at him with a knowing expression on his face.

"It's gratifying to know you are reading the reports I send to you, son."

"Of course father. I take my responsibilities as heir very seriously."

The serious response from his son only made him smile more as he took another sip. Holding the glass now in his right hand, the father continued.

"They move in mystery. They were created in mystery. Unseen, undetected, unknown."

He shook his head with frustration showing on his face.

"And they have a virtual monopoly on providing these 'shadow' services to the Self-Defense forces."

With his free hand, his father made a hand gesture as if showing his son something on a table before them.

"When you look at any of the great magic houses, the rolls of their dead can be read by anyone. The sacrifices seen. The cost, in magician lives, measured."

Then he shook his head again in exasperation.

"Until recently we couldn't even verify that there were any Yotsuba at all other than Genzou-san."

The mention of the head of the Yotsuba family made the son tense up a bit. The man had a fearsome reputation. It was rumored he could kill with a look.

"We…know of other Yotsuba? Their names, who they are?"

The son wondered nervously what dark power these "new" Yotsuba possessed. His father on the other hand was clearly frustrated with their own lack of intelligence on this other great magic house.

"Only because Yotsuba-dono revealed them. Otherwise we'd still be just as much in the dark as before."

The son nodded, then made a statement of his own.

"This is why we have been working more closely with the Intelligence Services the last few years."

Again his father directed a slightly surprised look of interest at his son.

"How do you mean?"

To his continuing surprise, his young son didn't hesitate to provide him with a concise answer.

"Since the Yotsuba are unwilling to share how they operate, we have been forced to also delve into intelligence work, thus expanding our presence and value with the government and Self-Defense forces, while also acting as a counter weight to their influence over those same institutions."

His father had a genuine look of delight on his face. He even laughed with pleasure before replying.

"Very good my son. You are astute to see that at your age."

Then his father's mood again slightly darkened.

"Doing so has, of course, drawn Youtsuba-dono's attentions to us."

The son nodded again and spoke out his understanding.

"Thus increasing the tension between our two houses."

"Yes, my son, on purpose."

Now it was the son's turn to be surprised.

"On…purpose, father?"

Nodding, his father didn't provide a direct answer back and asked his son to speculate instead.

"Now, tell me why I would wish to increase the tension between our great magic houses."

He was being tested now. He could feel the weight of his father's eyes boring into him again. Stilling his growing anxiety, the young man contemplated the situation for a few moments, and then began to speak.

"Kodou-kaka recently announced that when peace comes, he will retire from the Self-Defense Forces to focus on the civilian needs of the Japanese magic community."

The expression on his father's face indicated he was surprised by the direction his son's thoughts had taken him. There had been no previous mention of the general in their conversation. Without asking for an explanation though, his father prodded him forward on his thoughts instead.

"Go on."

"They have announced plans for a Magic University. There's even talks about magic high schools. So…Kodou-kaka plans to take command of winning the peace, especially for Japan's magicians."

His father was clearly not trying to smile now and was having a hard time of it.

"Very astute, but what does that have to do with us purposefully antagonizing the Yotsuba?"

The boy pressed his lips hard together in thought, but not on what he should say, only how he should frame it to make the best and most coherent statement.

"They are secretive, they stay to themselves…they are thus a rouge element in Japan's magic community."

His father encouraged him onward again.

"And a rouge element, or unstable element…..could?"

The son looked at his father now with a serious expression.

"Threaten the peaceful balance."

Now his father released his smile, but continued to probe his son's thinking.

"So what is antagonizing them supposed to accomplish?"

After a few seconds to think it over, his son replied to him.

"It will….give Kodou-kaka a justification to step in and mediate between us."

"Precisely! Very good!"

His father's obvious delight in him spurred him forward.

"Thus forcing the Yotsuba into the open, so that they will either have to integrate into the Japanese magic community Kodou-kaka is trying to build, or be shown for the destabilizing element they are, thus risking the support of the Government and Self-Defense Forces at a time when both aren't as reliant on them as they had been during the war."

His father beamed with pride that radiated off his son.

"Outstanding my son. You will be as formidable in the conference room as on the battlefield."

Making his father proud of him was the greatest accomplishment he could hope for at this age, and one he reveled in.

"Thank you very much father."

Yet even in this moment of personal victory for him, his mind was always turning, always searching for the next move, always looking for the next challenge to overcome.

"Father, this has all already occurred though, hasn't it? Kodou-kaka and yourself planned this a while ago and have already set the pieces into motion."

His father shook his head at him, but continued to smile at him with pride and surprise.

"Remind me never to play chess against you my boy! Yes, it has."

"May I ask, what was the conclusion?"

His father's smile changed slightly then in a way he couldn't read.

"That is where you come in, my son. This is where you can be a valuable component in securing the peace."

"Me?"

He blurted this out in surprise, realizing that outside of training, his father was about to give him his first real-world assignment. He hoped his father didn't hear his back bones pop as he straightened up into a ridged posture.

"I will do my part, father. You can depend on me."

His father nodded and began to explain the situation to him.

"This summer, you will be staying with Kodou-kaka in Nara. There, you will learn directly from him. I cannot tell you what a great honor training with him is."

To learn from the best magician in the world. His mind couldn't process it fast enough. His mouth voiced out his amazement.

"I am stunned father."

Realizing that was a woefully inadequate response he again straightened himself up and spoke out a more appropriate response.

"I will learn all I can."

His father gave him a benign smile in response.

"I know you will."

His father turned away again and after taking another sip of his drink, he spoke once more.

"There will be two other students with you, also learning from Kodou-kaka."

His son could feel the instant mood change in his father as he spoke.

"They are twin sisters, about a year and a half younger than you. Their names are Miya and Maya."

After making this statement both of them took sips of their beverages again and contemplated the elms below them. In the growing silence between them, he could feel his father's eyes occasionally looking at him. He knew his silence wasn't the response his father had expected. Soon his father confirmed this with his words.

"You have an interesting look on you face. What are you thinking about?"

Thinking is exactly what he had been doing and the reason for his silence. He turned towards his father again and with a serious expression nodded slightly and then asked his question.

"Father, these are the other Yotsuba we now know about, aren't they?"

His father smiled again at him but the pleased expression never seemed to reach his eyes.

"Yes my son, you are seeing the pieces come together now, aren't you?"

He nodded solemnly in response.

"Yes father, I am to be married to one of Yotsuba-dono's daughters."

Another deep silence followed his father's serious looking head nod that confirmed his suspicious. Seeing his son with such a serious look, his father tried to break the building tension.

"Don't look so serious, this summer will only conclude with the announcement of your engagement to one of them. The marriage will wait for several years after."

"One of them?"

He was surprised that the choice was his. He knew that as a great magic family, who they procreated with wasn't even remotely about things like romantic love. He had never entertained such ridiculous notions.

To be given even such a limited choice was a major surprise to him.

"Youtsuba-dono agreed that the choice is yours alone. Whichever one you pick will be your eventual bride."

Seeing his son was still stunned by this news, he asked the HAR to show their images to them.

"Display file Yotsuba Sisters."

On the holographic projection that came to life before them two images emerged side-by-side. That they were twins was obvious. That they were beautiful and would grow even more so as they matured was equally obvious. The one on the left had a glowing smile and she wore her hair in curly drapes down the sides of her face. The one on the right wore her hair straight with bangs. Her smile was also lovely but more subdued.

"Of course, you don't have much variety in facial features or body type, but as you can see they are lovely young ladies and it's plain that both will become beautiful women. Genzou-san assured me that they are very different in personality though, so there is exploring that aspect of them for you to look forward to."

His next question made it plain he had hoped seeing them would improve his son's mood.

"What is it son?"

Not wishing to offend his father in any way, the boy moved to dispel any misunderstanding of his reactions.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to serve my family and the magic community father."

This elicited a smirk from his elder.

"But?"

"It's just…."

His always racing mind had led him to another conclusion that he had to know the truth of.

"…I don't really have a choice, do I?"

His father instantly furrowed his brows and looked at his son hard.

"You've known for some time that for the sake of the next generation, your choice in bride could not be for love."

Again his father had drawn the wrong conclusion, and he quickly tried to resolve it.

"Of course father, and I understand that aspect of my responsibilities."

Now his father's right eyebrow crept noticeably up his forehead in curiosity.

"Then what do you mean?"

He took a deep breath before responding.

"You…want me to choose the one with Mental Interference magic, right father?"

For the second time today he had shocked his father with his perceptiveness. After a few moments to recover, his father responded with a slightly awkward expression.

"I hadn't planned to overwhelm you in one sitting, but I can plainly see you are already far ahead of me."

Then his father's expression became serious once again.

"It's only speculation that they even possess such talent."

Having prefaced what he would say next, his father continued.

"Yet…there are too many unexplainable things that occur where we know the Yotsuba have been. Enemy soldiers that inexplicably leave gates open, or don't see the enemies walking right past them. Officers that transmit secrets on open channels or even directly to us, who later can't explain why it happened."

He thought he could see worry, or at least concern, reflecting in his father's eyes as he stared off at the far horizon beyond the windows,

"Even if the Yotsuba possess such ability, and it would help explain their super-secretive ways, that doesn't mean either girl has such a talent."

He nodded his understanding, and asked the obvious follow-up question.

"You want me to make that determination, and then ask that girl to marry me, right father?"

His father never took his eyes off the far horizon as he nodded affirmation.

"I have no need to explain to you what adding Mental Interference magic would mean for our family, and how doing so could help break the assumed Yotsuba monopoly on such talent."

The son understood his mission well now.

"No father, I will find out which and I will bring her into the family."

His father looked at him with a smile now, but his eyes still seemed to see all the horrors of the war that hopefully would soon end.

"You are a dutiful son."

He turned away again and any false joy he had affected before seemed to melt away.

"As I said before though, neither could have it, in which case you should pick the stronger of the two."

"And if they are equal?"

His father took another swig of his bourbon before answering.

"Then you will finally get a true choice between them."

After he nodded understanding to his father once again, silence retook the space between them as they sipped on their drinks and looked out at the blue sky, white clouds, green grass, and growing elms beyond the windows.

After what seemed like an eternity, his father began to speak again.

"Your mother and I were 'assigned' to each other by those that ran the Seventh Lab before we took it over. I was specifically….'brought' over from the Third Lab to mate with her."

His son knew the word "brought" was a euphemism. When his parents had been young the Government treated them as commodities. Engineered magicians were for all intents and purposes slaves back then, tied to their development labs and the officials that ran those labs for the Authorities.

Men like Kodou-kaka, and his father, had won their freedom from the labs and now ran them as their own. The Government, which needed them more at the time than they needed the Government, had been forced to acknowledge their basic rights as human.

But only the most basic of human rights.

Like this coming peace, there had also been a price to pay for some control over their own lives.

The race that had been created as weapons, had pledged to remain so for the sake of the nation.

" _Sacrifices for control, sacrifices for peace."_

Modern magicians' existence as quasi-human, quasi-weapon entities, and the price of such things filled his young mind as his father spoke again.

"We got lucky, we liked each other. I would hope for your sake that the one you must pick also can make you happy as well."

He agreed, it was a nice though. He would like to think that one of these Yotsuba sisters could make him happy. He liked to also think he could make one of them happy as well.

He liked to please others, like his father. It made him feel good, like he had a purpose in life.

He stood up and moved to stand again at attention before his father.

"While that would be a benefit. It is not required."

As his father looked at him with a serious expression, he realized that securing the peace, securing the future for future generations of magicians far outweighed his personal happiness.

"I am a Saegusa. I will do my duty. You can depend on me, father."

His personal happiness was something he'd willingly sacrifice in order to secure the world for his own children and their's to follow. How could he sacrifice less when people like his parents had already sacrificed so much more?

"Yes, my son, I put all my faith in the future into your capable hands."

Kouichi beamed with pride as his father smiled up at him approvingly. In later years the complete lack of joy in his father's eyes during this critical moment in both their lives would haunt his thoughts over and over again.


	2. Chapter 2: Distractions

"The International Magic Association has extended an invite to come to speak to the annual convention. This year's site is in The Hague."

He never turned back from looking out the sunlit windows of his office as his subordinate read out the information on the pad in his hands. He simply replied in his usual calm tone of voice.

"What topic?"

"International cooperation on issues of magician rights and societal integration."

If his subordinate could sense his lack of interest it was only natural. He received this annual invite every year.

"When is it again?"

"The week of October 13th."

For the last five years, though worded differently each time, magician rights was the latest topic the IMA thought he was some kind of specialist in.

He might have even entertained attending if they had presented him with another topic of discussion.

What they really wanted from him was his name on the list of speakers to attract additional attention to the conference.

Such is the lot of a world-famous magician.

"Let them know that we appreciate the offer, but we'll have to decline this year."

He had done the same speech three years ago, to virtually the exact same people. It was true that in the current hostile environment, magician rights were indeed an important topic that needed addressing, but not by him, again. They could simply watch the replay of his speech to them three years ago, or better yet, have someone else deliver it to them.

The problems hadn't changed since then, only the intensity level.

"Yes, Sir."

"Anything else?"

There was only a brief pause as his subordinate quickly reviewed the data before replying.

"The arrangements for your visit to the Elder have been finalized. You're scheduled to depart for Nara the day after tomorrow at thirteen hundred hours."

Kudou had asked him to come out for a "discussion". Since it wasn't something the Elder thought couldn't be said over electronic communication mediums, he assumed it was important.

He also owed the Elder for helping him save face at the last Clans Conference. It had cost the Kudou their previously unbroken tenure on the Ten Master Clans, if even for just one four year term.

The Kudou would probably be voted back on in three years' time, but it had been a very public gesture of "sacrifice" for the greater good. So even if the Elder just wanted to shoot the breeze, Kouichi had to answer the call.

The Elder, however, was not one to call him out west in this way on a whim.

 _"It has to be about the boy."_

He suspected the Elder had really laid out his own family's place on the Ten Master Clans on the chopping block to protect the involvement of that woman's "son" during the events of the previous 9SC from becoming known.

He certainly didn't do it just to protect the Seagusa, no matter what it looked like to the other clans.

 _"She certainly wasn't fooled by it."_

He suddenly realized his subordinate was watching him and waiting for a response.

"Very well, that will be all for now."

The man nodded solemnly to Kouichi's back and left the room. Once the door had closed, Kouichi breathed a sigh.

The man was competent, but he was no replacement for the late Nakura. Kouichi had to now divide the work Nakura had previously done with seeming ease over several less-able subordinates.

He sat down in one of the two chairs that flanked a small table, which served as an informal sitting area before the windows.

Tapping his first two left fingers on the small table top, a few seconds later a glass appeared. The HAR knew that before lunch, he never drank alcohol, so the usual Bourbon on the rocks was replaced with coffee.

He lifted the cup and took a sip, then placed it back on the table.

 _"Nara."_

He sighed as he thought of that place.

Of that time.

He allowed his thoughts to drift as he stared blankly out the window towards the elms his father had planted those many years ago.

Nara was where it all had begun to go so very wrong.

* * *

The Kudou residence was expansive and impressive. Though the building itself was slightly smaller than the purposefully overpowering Saegusa residence, the grounds were far and away more expansive. Just to get to the house one had to cross a maze laced with sophisticated magical, electrical and mechanical traps. The grounds themselves expanded all the way back towards the surrounding hills. Kouichi suspected that what was seeable above ground was figuratively the tip of an iceberg. Someone of Kudou Retsu's prestige and importance would command vast amounts of resources and responsibilities.

He had arrived the afternoon before and had been settled into his rooms in a traditional style Sukiya building about a half-kilometer away from the main house. It was here and in the facilities that surrounded it that the Yotsuba twins and he would receive their training. He seriously doubted someone as busy as Kodou-kaka, especially with the peace negotiations reaching their conclusion, would have time to oversee their training on a daily basis.

He suspected capable subordinates would supervise most of their training.

Kudou-kaka's youngest daughter had greeted his car on arrival to the Kodou mansion, profusely apologizing for her father's absence.

An emergency that only the general could solve had called him away suddenly. To be expected of someone in his position. He had only been able to see the Elder for the first time at breakfast the next day. The impression Kouichi got was that Kodou-kaka had arrived back home well after the date change.

His daughter had given Kouichi the tour of the house and the grounds, finally helping him settle into his quarters in the Sukiya.

Kouichi hoped she hadn't noticed how much he found her presence….stimulating.

She was only a few years older than him, but at this young age, that difference was as deep as the Pacific. She was a fully formed woman of beauty and grace, with a vivacious smile and the personality and intellect to match.

She had a powerful effect on a young man still learning to deal with the results of the onset of puberty.

Kouichi could see himself being quite happy to be "forced" to marry her. If only he had been a little older.

Of course, even then, there was no guarantee both sets of parents would have seen the need for such a marriage alliance. The Saegusa and Kudou were already relatively close, Kodou-kaka's scheming with his father to make this "opportunity" with the Yotsuba girls occur was all the needed proof of that.

Even Kouichi had heard the rumors that Kodou-kaka's youngest child was already promised to a prominent Ancient magic clan, though there had been no official announcement of such yet. He had a hard time imagining this vivacious young woman in priestess robes and sitting through hours of incantations.

 _"What a waste."_

He'd have had her in the Capital in elegant gowns at every important function. He knew she could light up a room all on her own. Draping her in heavy kimonos for solemn and relatively quiet ceremonies no one of importance ever bothered to attend was just…..a waste.

From Kodou-kaka's perspective though, it would be a good marriage alliance. There was bad blood between the modern magic families produced by the Ninth Research Institute and most of Japan's Ancient magic houses. If the rumored groom's family, the venerable Fujibayashi Clan, could help ease these tensions, it was all for the better.

The Ancient magic houses, with a few notable exceptions, hadn't provided very much support during the war. Apparently, the "theft" of their gifts, as they saw it, by the Ninth Institute was more important to them than the safety of the nation. It certainly made them wary of dealing with the Authorities and their "puppets", as they liked to refer to modern magicians by.

They were just another unstable element that Kodou-kaka surely wanted to stabilize, and a marriage alliance between two of the most prominent houses on both sides looked good for solving some of that tension, at least on paper.

Kouichi tried to put the Kodou-bishoujo out of his mind as he used Multi-Scope and a specialized rifle-shaped CAD to take out target drones flying over Lake Biwa, some thirty kilometers away to the northeast The grizzled veteran that Kodou-kaka had assigned to him seemed very impressed with this, but Kouichi was still disappointed he couldn't find the way to use Multi-Cast and Multi-Scope at the same time from this distance.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself young man. It's far beyond most magician's abilities already."

The veteran said this to Kouichi after witnessing his downtrodden expression. To add emphasis, the veteran invoked the elder Saegusa's name.

"I served under your father, the Major. I'm sure he is quite proud of your achievements."

Kouichi nodded solemnly, but wouldn't allow himself to use that excuse.

"My father's opinion of me is of great importance Sergeant, but at the end of the day, it is me that I must answer to for my failures. It only takes one mistake to result in a disaster."

The veteran soldier looked at the young man with what Kouichi already knew was some form of sympathy.

"Young master, you shouldn't try to carry the weight of the whole world on your shoulders alone. There's more than one way for a magician to burn themselves out."

Kouichi was about to retort that position when the sound of an all-terrain vehicle reached their ears. Turning they saw the youngest Kudou daughter at the wheel and Kouichi instantly forgot the sage advice he had just received.

"Sorry to interrupt the training Sergeant, but father sent me to come for Kouichi-san."

Despite his best attempt not to be excited, getting to spend any time with her made his heart race slightly.

"Our other students have arrived."

* * *

The truth was that Kouichi was much more interested in simply being in the presence of the youngest Kodou child than meeting the Yotsuba twins.

Their pictures were pretty enough, but neither looked like they had been anywhere near starting their journey to womanhood. At their young age, how could they hope to compare to the vivacious almost adult woman seated beside him?

 _"Still, I will be meeting my future wife today for the first time."_

Even this thought couldn't seem to make him turn his eyes from the person driving the vehicle beside him.

He suspected she could already tell he was attracted to her. Since that morning she had become a bit more flirtatious with him. A teasing kind of flirtation where one party, in this case, her, had no intention of letting it be anything more than innocent fun.

He was mature enough, even at this age, to understand this much. She was not for him, no matter how much he wished it were otherwise.

That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the next few weeks being around her, just so long as the twins didn't take notice of his preference.

His father had given him an assignment, his first non-training assignment, and he had to carry it out to the fullest of his ability. For the future security of the nation, and for the Saegusa legacy.

Up ahead was the "woman" he'd spend his life with and the mother of his future children. The future mother of that same Saegusa legacy.

The only question was, which one of them was it going to be?

The all-terrain vehicle pulled into an underground garage near the main residence. At the entrance to the main house from the garage, they disembarked from the vehicle as an attendant brushed the dust off them.

After entering the elevator alone together, she turned slightly his way to talk to him with a wicked smile.

"Nervous?"

He cut his eyes sideways at her with a confused look.

"Not particularly."

She shrugged at the unexpected answer, but a moment later he asked her a follow-up question.

"Should I be nervous?"

She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Well, I was nervous when I met my fiancé, and I was sixteen."

Before now it had just been rumor and speculation. Now he knew for certain what before had just been assumed. This woman was to belong to another man.

It was surprisingly painful for him.

He'd only known her for less than a day, but it had apparently been very impactful for him.

He then chided himself for his foolish attachment to this relative stranger.

As his self-criticism settled in, he let the rest of her statement sink into his mind.

"Your father…told you?"

She squinted at him for a second with a curious look on her gorgeous face.

"What? About you and those two?"

After a second of contemplating the results of answering her in the affirmative, he finally nodded confirmation.

She straightened back up with a nonchalant smile gracing her delicate features.

"No, but it's a bit obvious, right?"

All Kouichi could do was agree with her.

"I suppose so."

At his less than enthusiastic expression, she teasingly bumped his shoulder with her elbow.

"Cheer up, I hear they're both very beautiful."

Kouichi gave her a half smile and an answering nod. He found it hard to believe either of them could be as beautiful or as fun as his present company though.

The lift stopped and the door began to open. Kouichi could just make out the familiar outline of Elder Kodou approaching them down the hallway.

As they stepped out she took the chance to tease him one more time.

"So, do you have to pick just one or do you get the set?"

Her words stopped him in mid-step and she delivered a devastating smile of satisfaction over her shoulder as she continued forward towards her father.

It took him a good two seconds to find his feet again and he could feel the heat of his embarrassment on his cheeks, ears, and neck.

"Ah, there you are Kouichi-san!"

Elder Kodou had a strong and firm voice that was neither loud nor soft. He was the type of man who naturally drew everyone's attentions to his words. He had a commanding, but not domineering presence.

Perfect for a leader.

When he got close enough to see Kouichi's embarrassed state, he cocked an inquisitive eyebrow upwards. A moment later, after darting a glance at his youngest's amused expression, he joined her in a knowing smile.

"Have you been at him dear?"

She giggled at her father's mischievous question.

"I'm afraid so father, but he's held up well."

Kouichi didn't feel like he was holding up well at all. If anything the skin around his face and neck felt even hotter now than before.

Kodou-kaka could see as much and began asking him about his training session that morning. He clearly wanted to give Kouichi the chance to compose himself before meeting the sisters for the first time. Kouichi realized as much and was grateful for the Elder's tact. For her part, his beautiful daughter didn't complicate things any further.

"Now, let me introduce you to your fellow pupils."

With these words Kouichi knew the Elder had judged that he was ready, finally, to meet his future wife, and her sister.

Kouichi nodded his consent and all three proceeded to the end of the hallway. He opened the doors at the end and allowed Kouichi to step in first.

One of the sisters was standing near the window, looking out on the gardens below. She wore a deep red day dress and had her hair in matching bows on either side.

The other sister wore a matching dress but in blue-grey. She had her hair pinned back with clips and was intently reading a rather large book in front of an ornate bookcase containing hundreds of similar heavy tomes.

The one at the window turned around rather quickly at the sound of them entering the room. Though you could tell only a second before she had been scowling, her instant smile flashed brilliant white teeth and her eyes glowed like jewels, even from that far away. The one with the book closed it purposefully and replaced it on the shelf before turning her body slowly to face the new people in the room.

"Here we are, young ladies. We apologize for keeping you waiting."

The one who had had the book bowed gracefully towards the Elder as she replied in a smooth and even tone.

"Not at all Kudou-sensei. We have just been admiring your wonderful book collection and gardens."

She hadn't even bothered to look at Kouichi yet.

 _"This one is Miya, the eldest."_

The one at the window bowed only when she noticed her sister starting too and thus seemed more rushed in doing so. Her eyes had locked onto Kouichi the second she had turned around and even now she was trying to see him from under her dangling locks of hair.

 _"Maya, the younger one."_

They were born only minutes apart but already Kouichi could sense a great gulf in maturity between the two twins. They both rose back up gracefully. Only then did Miya let her eyes fall on Kouichi.

Where her sister's eyes had shown nothing but excitement, Miya's eyes barely showed curiosity, but she was curious about him. This sister was more cautious than the other.

 _"The leader."_

Either way, he was pleased to see both sisters looking more feminine and less girlish than the clearly dated images their father had supplied his own with.

They were, in their own unique way, beautiful young women now.

"This young lady is Yotsuba Miya-san."

By this point, Maya had rapidly moved towards her sister's side and both had advanced to stand before the new arrivals.

Kouichi bowed to her and when he rose back up he made sure to make direct eye contact.

"And here is her younger sister, Yotsuba Maya-san."

Where the elder sister seemed the picture of serenity and placidity, Maya gave off the impression of a tea kettle ready to boil over. Her smile glowed like the sun.

Kouichi made direct eye contact with her and returned her smile. This resulted in a slight pink tinge on her cheeks and her eyes moved away abruptly from the intensity of his gaze.

When he bowed towards her, his thoughts formulated on her quickly.

 _"If she's the one, then this will be easy."_

He had clearly already won her admiration by just being there. The converse was also true. If Miya was the Mental Interference magician, she'd be a much tougher nut to crack.

When he returned to an upright position, Kodou-kaka finally introduced him.

"Please allow me to present to you both Saegusa Kouichi-san, heir of the Saegusa Family."

Kouichi exchanged nods with both and then finally spoke to them himself.

"It is an honor to meet you both. I am looking forward to getting to know you better over the course of our training together with Kudou-sensei."

Maya showed off her winning smile again and Miya finally gave him a slightly pleasant smile of her own, but without showing her own teeth. Then the older sister replied for them both.

"We are also looking forward to training with you this summer, Saegusa-san."

"Please, call me Kouichi."

For a split second Miya looked as if she didn't approve of such informality with a stranger, but that look quickly passed from her face.

 _"A proper Ojou-sama."_

Kouichi approved of her propriety.

"Of course, and please feel free to call me Miya."

They nodded to each other pleasantly again. Then a strange silence fell over the group. Miya began to look towards her right with slight disapproval.

Maya was just staring wide-eyed at Kouichi now.

"Sister?"

An almost whispered question from her sister seemed to snap Maya out of the trance she had fallen into. Her eyes widened and her cheeks tinged pink yet again. She even raised her hand to cover her mouth.

"OH! Please forgive me, Saegusa-san."

A quick bow was followed by another embarrassed smile.

"I am Maya, please call me Maya, if you like."

She was charming, if surprisingly open for the daughter of someone with Yotsuba Genzou's reputation. Miya fit the image he had expected of both girls much better, but at least Maya seemed interested in being here. The same couldn't be said for her taciturn sister.

"Very well, Maya-san."

He cracked a grin at her, then decided to make physical contact by extending his hand to her. She was plainly delighted by this and placed her palm inside his hand most willingly.

"You must also agree to call me by my name as well."

This made her blush even more than before.

"As you wish, Kouichi-san."

He thought he detected the slightest attempt by Maya to lower her voice when she said his name.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one that heard it.

Kouichi could sense that to his side, the oldest female in the room was having a hard time not smirking with amusement at the display going on before her.

He didn't need to make this gesture of physical contact for Maya's sake. She would have been enthusiastic about him just with bows and words.

It was an ice breaker for the older sister though.

An excuse to do the same with her.

He extended his now empty hand towards Miya.

Seeing this she almost smirked at him.

 _"I'm being too obvious?"_

The look she gave him as she laid her hand in his practically screamed to Kouichi that she saw right through him.

 _"Much more difficult than I thought."_

As if to confirm his suspicions she didn't let the hand linger in his palm and immediately turned her attention back to Elder Kudou.

Kouichi was too busy analyzing Miya's reaction to notice the disappointed look on Maya's face.

"Ah! Now the introductions are out of the way."

Elder Kudou gave the three youngsters a warm paternal smile.

"I have heard from your fathers about your abilities but I wish to see them for myself."

All three nodded in turn, then Kouichi turned towards his female companions and bowed slightly again.

"Ladies first."

Miya smiled at his suggestion and moved towards the doors, but not without giving him one more appraising look.

Her sister followed with a glowing smile for him.

That afternoon, the three would show the Elder their abilities for the first time.

* * *

Several days passed and to Kouichi's surprise, Kudou-kaka always ran the morning sessions of their training.

It only took a few demonstrations of his abilities to convince the three youngsters that learning from him would be a great benefit to them all.

That morning the grizzled old Sergeant turned up and began their training in the Elder's place. The three had assumed something important had finally claimed the Elder's attention elsewhere.

It wasn't till a few minutes before noon when all three suddenly found themselves on their backs with the Elder laughing in their midst.

He had used a magic called Parade to conceal himself amongst them all morning long. Quietly observing their training.

Even Miya seemed quite impressed, which Kouichi had already determined was a hard achievement to earn.

For the last two days, the Elder kept one of the girls back after lunch to talk about their experiences so far. First was Miya, and then yesterday Maya's turn.

Today it was finally Kouichi's turn.

"Your suggestion about adding a long-range tracking projector to the specialized CAD rifle was also much appreciated. I was able to hit three targets simultaneously over Lake Biwa yesterday because of it."

The Elder smiled as he sipped his tea. Once he placed it back on the table he replied.

"Your abilities, like many in your generation, already exceed the previous generation at a similar age. Most can't match you even as an adult at full strength."

He had a serious expression as he continued.

"When I heard how effective you were with Multi-scope and Multi-cast, I suspected the technology was what was holding you back from combining both techniques."

He then directed a benign smile at Kouichi.

"Unfortunately we are still largely reliant on CAD imports from America and Europe to fulfill our needs. They tend not to send us the cutting-edge equipment. Hopefully, once the National Magic University is up and running some of its first graduates can come together and build a domestic CAD base."

Kouichi's own father had bemoaned Japan's reliance on foreign technology where casting devices were concerned.

In the brief gap of silence, Kouichi ventured a question of his own.

"There are more rumors every day in the press that the treaty will soon be signed. May I ask, will we soon have peace?"

The Elder gave him a bright smile then.

"I believe so. It's in everybody's mutual interest."

Then his expression turned slightly bitter.

"The GAA are demanding Tsushima and Okinawa. Which obviously isn't going to happen while our forces are still in Shanghai, Shandong, and Dalian."

Kouichi nodded thoughtfully, but after a few moments revealed some information to the Elder he was uncertain he should.

"My father…..thinks we'll have to abandon our gains on the mainland."

Though he thought he kept his expression neutral, he couldn't help letting his disappointment seep into his next words.

"Even…..Korea."

The Elder gave an understanding sigh as he held his cup and saucer in each hand respectively.

"If we want peace, he's probably right."

Kouichi nodded his understanding. The elder applied Latin words to their conversation.

"Status quo antebellum."

After a few moments of silence, the Elder expended further on the situation.

"Except of course for Dahan's independence. Wedged between Japan and Dahan, the GAA will be forced to play nicely in the future. Especially now that the New Soviet Union has cooled their relationship with the GAA significantly."

More silence followed. Kouichi, lost in his thoughts, didn't notice the Elder casting a concerned gaze in his direction.

"I, of course, knew your mother."

Kouichi was startled out of his thoughts with this unexpected statement.

"She was a remarkable magician and a wonderful person. You can be very proud to be her."

Was mind reading one of the Kudou's unknown abilities? Both the Elder and his daughter seemed to be able to read minds.

Or was it just his mind?

"I do feel very proud to be her son Sensei."

He smiled sadly at his pupil.

"She would have been very proud of you too."

Expecting Kouichi to take solace in these words, the Elder seemed somewhat surprised as Kouichi's mood continued to darken. A moment later, Kouichi spoke further on the situation.

"It would be better if I had something she should be proud of me for on my resume already though."

"Nonsense!"

The Elder wasn't the type to raise his voice. Doing so now briefly stunned his young companion.

"The Sergeant told me how hard you are on yourself and I have seen it myself in your training."

He placed his teacup and saucer on the table before them and shook his head sideways in disapproval.

"You're very mature for your age, but you are still young, and have a full life ahead of you."

Kouichi already had learned that the Elder was a master of using words and body language for maximum effect on his audience. He had a particularly interesting way of correcting one while never seeming to criticize.

"Your mother, like your father, would be proud of you for your remarkable achievements, AT YOU AGE. All things must be appropriate to their surroundings and conditions."

Kouichi knew he was being subjected to that same iron fist in a velvet glove treatment even now.

"I stand by my earlier statement. She would be proud of you for who you are NOW, and for who you will become in the future."

There was no arguing this point, especially since the Elder was probably right.

Parents tend to see only the best traits in their children.

His father was that way and nothing he had ever heard about his mother lent itself to suggesting she'd be any more critical of him.

Kouichi nodded thoughtfully as he acknowledged the Elder's words.

"Yes, Sir."

The Elder seemed pleased by this and took up his beverage again.

"Now, having discussed your training and current world events, let's turn our attention towards your beautiful companions."

There was a glint in Kodou-kaka's eyes as he directed a conspiratorial smile at his young companion.

"Tell me your initial impressions of young Maya."

Kouichi composed his thoughts for a moment and then began to speak.

"She's enthusiastic. Likes attention. Easily distracted. Lively and charming. Exceedingly skilled at systematic magic, especially for her age. Eager to prove herself capable, but mostly because she desires to be seen as praiseworthy. I suspect a subconscious need to compete with Miya is behind that. A bit flighty, yet capable of being serious, but only when absolutely necessary."

When the room went deadly silent after his statement, Kouichi began to wonder if he had made a grievous faux pas. He had assumed the Elder wanted his honest assessment but had he gone too far?

After a few moments of concerned contemplation on whether he had offended the General, Kouichi mustered the courage to look to his side.

Kudou-kaka shook his head chidingly but smiled with apparent mirth.

"Your father warned me that you were an honest and observant young man!"

Kouichi could only sigh in relief to hear the Elder's amused tone, though he didn't understand the reason behind it.

"I simply can't wait to hear what you have to say of young Miya."

Kouichi once again composed his thoughts and released them in the same "stream of consciousness" style as before.

"She's observant. Hates attention. Focused. Capable of great charm but uses it sparingly. Also very skilled with systematic magic, but refuses to show off with it. I suspect she's even more capable with it but doesn't want to tip her hand. Where Maya overwhelms with her magic, Miya is subtle and calculating. She only uses the bare minimum to achieve her goal. Very serious, very studious. I think she feels a great sense of responsibility where Maya is concerned."

He then looked at the Elder with a serious expression.

"Of the two she is the quiet, no, that's not right."

He shook his head mildly and he tried to find the right words. Then he nodded before speaking, satisfied with how he wanted to phrase things.

"She's the reluctant leader, where Maya is the exuberant follower."

When Kouichi looked over to his senior companion, he saw the Elder rubbing his chin in thought. A few moments later he spoke.

"You are an observant young man."

His eyes fell on Kouichi once again.

"I think, in general, your assessment of the two is correct."

Kodou-kaka then looked away again with a contemplative expression.

"However, I caution you to not make your thoughts on them permanent in your mind."

His eyes returned to his curious companion and showed a bit more mirth again.

"They, like you, have a lot of learning and maturing ahead of them. You may find out that twelve-year-old Miya and Maya look nothing like themselves in five or ten years. You may even find that Maya has a seriousness within her you cannot see yet, or that Miya may be more fun than she appears, once you get to know them even better."

Kouichi could only nod his agreement to his elder's outlook.

"I'm sure you are right Sensei. I will endeavor to keep an open mind."

"That's good since you have to pick the one best suited to you to make your wife."

Kudou's eyes took on a serious light again as he continued.

"I suspect you feel pressure to pick one over the other for…..shall we say, family obligations."

Kouichi tried not to look too exposed by another example of Kudou-kaka's apparent mind-reading skills. He judged he was at best just partially successful since the Elder's expression took on a sympathetic look.

"I would caution you that the only real way you can make the wrong decision would be to pick the one that you personally liked the least, for dynastic reasons. Even if you marry the one you think would be not as advantageous to your bloodline, you still have a very talented member of the Yotsuba Family as a wife, and a solid connection to that family as well."

Then he gave his pupil a warm and reassuring smile.

"The most important thing is your, and her, whomever you choose, wellbeing and satisfaction with each other. After that everything else will fall into place naturally."

After a moment

"I am curious though, have you developed an early personal preference for either young lady?"

Kouichi hoped that he wasn't showing on his face to awkwardness this question was causing him. He had already thought about which sister he preferred and had come up with no clear winner. Remembering his own conclusion, he decided that the best policy with Kodou-kaka was to be honest about his lack of preference.

"I can see advantages, both personal and dynastic, to them both."

The Elder's ponderous nod told him to continue with his thoughts aloud.

"I think Miya is the one most like me. We both seem very serious."

The Elder seemed to ponder the similarities between these two before making a supporting statement.

"Yes, I can see that too."

Kouichi took this vague supporting statement as an indication for him to continue.

"However, she seems reluctant to open herself up to me, so she remains a mystery."

Kouichi then turned his attentions to the younger sister.

"Maya, being very outgoing, would make a great companion for all the social responsibilities of my future position, and so far she seems more open and adventurous."

Apparently, the General could see the confliction on his young companion's face.

"You just wish she were a bit more serious, like Miya, right?"

Kouichi reservedly nodded his agreement. Elder Kodou then made a point of his own.

"Well, it's good you are keeping your options open at this point. We have several more weeks for you three to get to know each other better."

After a few more pleasantries Kouichi understood the interview was over and made to take his leave. Before he could leave though he had a question he wanted to ask the General, though he was having a hard time phrasing it the right way in his thoughts.

"What is it?"

The Elder was excellent at reading body language and demeanor. He immediately saw the young man's hesitation. Kouichi turned and bowed to him while asking for permission to discuss something…off topic.

"Forgive me Sensei, can I inquire about one more thing?"

As he rose upright, he sensed the slightest bit of amusement in the General's smiling nod. He couldn't help but think the General knew exactly what was going to be asked of him.

"Of course, you should feel free to discuss anything you like with me."

Kouichi took a deep breath to steady himself, and then let the words flow out from his mouth.

"It's just…..I haven't seen your daughter in a few days. May I ask if she is well?"

If he didn't know better he would have thought the Elder was on the verge of laughter at having heard this question. He seemed to be working to suppress his enjoyment of the young man's awkward situation. The question certainly didn't take him by surprise. His reply came late enough after being asked to almost make Kouichi think he had no intention to answer at all.

His mirth was a bit too evident for Kouichi's comfort.

"She is well indeed. She is, like you, undergoing training for her future."

His reply held the slightest hint of satisfaction and amusement in its tone. Kouichi felt even more awkward now, but bravely pressed on.

"I see, may I inquire as to what type of training sir?"

The Elder nodded before responding and took on a more serious expression, but the light in his eyes never diminished.

"She's learning her roles and responsibilities as a future member of the Fujibayashi Clan, with her future in-laws."

Kouichi suspected as much after the beautiful young woman's abrupt "disappearance", but having it made fact by the Elder's confirmation was unpleasant for Kouichi to hear. He fought hard to remove the disappointment from his face and voice.

"I see."

The Elder's lips cracked into a thin smile again and he raised the slightest of eyebrows at the young man.

Kouichi felt naked before that amused gaze, but he had one sliver of hope left to him.

He pressed his luck with another question.

"Will she be returning anytime soon?"

The Elder's expression remained smiling but his eyes took on a sadness to them.

"No, I'm afraid not, She'll be staying with them through the formal announcement of the engagement. We're waiting until after the peace agreement is signed to make the announcement."

Kouichi nodded, but couldn't help asking one final and way too obvious question.

"So…..we will not be seeing her again before our training is over?"

The Elder looked at him with an odd mixture of mirth and sympathy on his face. It seemed to Kouichi that the man understood his young companion's heart maybe even better than he did himself."

"….I doubt it."

Kouichi must have looked miserable after hearing these words because the Elder choose to make a final point for him.

"Like you three, she's taking up her new training seriously. She's also trying to avoid distractions that could arise being at home."

Kouichi's eyes locked with the Elder's after the later put added emphasis on the word "distractions".

"Just like you are Kouichi-san."

The point hit home. By definition, a "distraction" was something of no lasting consequence that could only divert one from their objectives. There was no plausible situation in which Kouichi would ever be paired with the slightly older girl.

Also, she was already spoken for.

He was here to make a good marriage for the Saegusa Family with the Yotsuba's. He could only risk that if he continued to show interest in the other girl.

It was time to put the childish fantasies away on focus on reality.

"Yes, Sir. Thankyou Sir."

Kouichi bowed, and at the Elder's returned nod, he turned and left the room.

Years later, Kouichi would mark that moment as a significant point in his development into an adult, without ever acknowledging that something inside him died at that very same moment.

He lost all faith in silly notions such as hope.


End file.
